Hopes for an early summer holiday have been dashed after the government added Portugal to the amber list and confirmed seven new countries will join the UK’s red list from Tuesday.
In a statement today, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps added that no new countries will join the UK’s green list until at least the end of July – in a blow for those planning a school holiday break.
Under the traffic light system, Brits travelling back from amber list countries are required to self-isolate for a full 10 days and take a pre-departure PCR Covid test and provide a negative result.
They will also have to pay for a further two tests on day two and eight of quarantine.
If your destination joins the red list, you will have to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days at a cost of £1,750 per person.
The seven countries being added to the red list from the amber list are: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Costa Rica, Egypt, Sudan, Trinidad and Tobago, and Sri Lanka.
The change will come into effect at 4am on Tuesday 8 June.
The Department for Transport said the measures are being implemented "to safeguard public health against variants of concern and protect our vaccine rollout".
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said it was "a difficult decision" and Portugal was downgraded because the government wants to give the UK "the best possible chance of unlocking domestically" on 21 June.
He said the emerging Nepal mutation of the Indian variant was of concern and Portugal's positivity rate has "nearly doubled since the last review".
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Each country is assessed based on a range of factors, including what proportion of a population is vaccinated, rates of infection, emerging new variants, and access to reliable scientific data and genomic sequencing.
Rory Boland, Which? Travel Editor, said: "Many people who booked holidays to Portugal believing it would be a safe bet are going to now face difficult decisions over whether to travel against government advice and quarantine on their return, or potentially lose the cost of their holiday.
"Few tour operators and no airlines allow for refunds when a country changes from green to amber, and rebooking very often involves paying more money.
"The government should take greater responsibility for making sure travellers are not left out of pocket when changes are made to its travel lists.
"A crucial step towards this would be to ensure destinations on the amber and red lists also come with a warning against travel from the FCDO, which should trigger package holiday providers to offer refunds to those who can no longer travel."
We’ve run through all of your traffic light questions here.
Can I get a holiday refund if my destination is moved to the amber or red list?
This entirely depends on the advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
The Government's traffic light system indicates what countries holidaymakers in the UK can visit based on Covid variants and vaccine rollouts – it also determines entry requirements.
Technically you can visit any destination as long as you follow the entry rules (such as PCR tests and quarantine hotels) as the international travel ban ended on May 17.
But it's the FCDO advice that holiday firms use to assess whether a holiday can go ahead - and the refund rules that apply.
If the FCDO advises against travel, then you will be entitled to your money back from a package holiday provider.
You aren't entitled to your money back if the Government simply moves it to the amber list.
If you need to cancel your trip because you aren't able to self-isolate when you're home the you should expect to forfeit the full or part of the cost of the trip.
That is because most amber holidays will still go ahead, despite the government's traffic light system update.
In other words, if you do not go, it will be classed as your decision, meaning you won't qualify for a refund.
Some providers, such as TUI and easyJet, will let you move your booking fee free if your trip has been affected by changes to the traffic light system.
Travellers who booked their holiday separately will only be able to get a refund on flights if they're cancelled.
Kevin Pratt, personal finance expert at comparison website Forbes Advisor UK, said: "If you've booked a holiday to Portugal or to any other destination that moves from green to amber on the government's list, your holiday provider should allow you to change your booking.
“You might not be willing or able to change straight away given the lack of green destinations, but you should have a grace period where you remain in credit with the company. If you decide to go ahead with your trip, assuming it is possible, remember that doing so could invalidate your travel insurance - you'd need to check with your insurer.
“But if the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office advice is not to travel, your policy is very unlikely to provide protection. Wherever you are planning or hoping to travel this year, having travel insurance with Covid-19 cover built-in is crucial - this will cover you if you or a family member fall ill with the virus before you depart, and may provide extra funds to pay for the costs you incur if you are obliged to stay in quarantine while you're abroad."
I can't travel anymore - how can I get my money back?
If you paid by credit card you may be able to get a refund under Section 75 of the Consumer Rights Act, as long as it cost between £100 and £30,000.
Debit card claims or credit card claims of under £100 may be covered under similar Chargeback guarantees.
You should contact your credit or debit card provider to make a claim - most will allow you to do this via an online form.
Travel insurance warning
Passengers should also be aware that travel insurance taken out for a green list trip may no longer be valid if you decide to go ahead with it after it switches to amber or red.
The key thing to watch out for is the FCDO advice on where is and isn't recommended.
Heading to countries against FCDO advice will mean you're not covered if you have an accident, get ill or lose your luggage when abroad.
However, some travel insurance policies may still cover you if the government has moved it to the amber list but there's isn't an FCDO travel ban in place.
You should check your policy and speak to your provider to see where your insurer stands on this.
Regardless of what happens, make sure you travel with an Ehic or Ghic card as this will give you some medical back up should you need it abroad.
